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The Tennessee man accused of kidnapping and killing a Memphis instructor in 2022 was discovered responsible on Friday of kidnapping and raping a distinct girl a yr prior.
Cleotha Abston, 40, was convicted by a Memphis jury on three counts of aggravated rape, particularly aggravated kidnapping and illegal possession of a weapon, in keeping with The Day by day Memphian by way of The Related Press.
The crime came about on Sept. 21, 2021, after the lady agreed to satisfy Abston at his house after connecting with him on a relationship web site. She reported that he held her at gunpoint, lined her face with a T-shirt and walked her exterior to a automobile the place he raped her within the backseat.
The sufferer reportedly testified on Tuesday that she complied as a result of she “did not need to die.”
ELIZA FLETCHER MURDER SUSPECT CLEOTHA ABSTON’S VIOLENT HISTORY OF RAPE, ASSAULT AND KIDNAPPING EXPLAINED
FILE – Cleotha Abston seems in court docket for his arraignment on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022 in Memphis, Tennessee, after being charged with the kidnapping and homicide of jogger Eliza Fletcher. (Mark Weber/Day by day Memphian by way of AP)
Abston, who’s charged within the homicide of 34-year-old Eliza Fletcher after allegedly kidnapping her throughout her morning run on Sept. 2, 2022, was not charged within the 2021 rape case till he was charged in Fletcher’s loss of life due to a delay in processing the primary girl’s sexual assault package.
The sufferer within the 2021 case sued the town of Memphis on allegations that its police division didn’t examine her case correctly, however the lawsuit was dismissed by a choose, the AP reported.
The sufferer within the 2021 rape case in opposition to Cleotha Abston, Eliza Fletcher’s alleged killer, sued the town of Memphis after claiming Memphis police didn’t examine her report correctly. The lawsuit was dismissed by a choose. (Fox Information Digital)
The Tennessee legislature handed a regulation after Fletcher’s loss of life requiring that the state Bureau of Investigation concern quarterly stories on sexual assault package testing occasions.
TENNESSEE WOMAN ELIZA FLETCHER DIED FROM GUNSHOT TO THE HEAD: AUTOPSY
Previous to Abston’s trial for the 2021 rape, his lawyer, Juni Ganguli, filed a change of venue movement asking that jurors from the Nashville space hear the case as a substitute of jurors from Memphis due to heavy media protection, prompting considerations Abston would not obtain a good trial.
Abston is accused of kidnapping and killing Eliza Fletcher, 34, in September 2022. Fletcher was a kindergarten instructor, spouse and mom of two, and an avid runner. (Canale Funeral Administrators; Liza Fletcher/Instagram)
Shelby County Choose Lee Espresso denied the request in January.
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Abston has pleaded not responsible to kidnapping and killing Fletcher, who was a kindergarten instructor, a spouse and mom of two, and an avid runner.
A trial date has not but been set.
The Related Press contributed to this report.
Cleotha Abston, accused in Eliza Fletcher slaying, convicted in 2021 rape
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